Grow a Snowflake & a Mickey

Now that November is here, it’s time to start preparing for the winter holidays! Here is a fun project to do with kids to make ornaments or holiday decor for your house. One word of caution… this is a chemical so kids need to be supervised that they don’t try to eat the ornaments, because they do look like rock candy when they are finished.

Supplies

Wide mouthed glass jar

Piece of string or thread

Scissors

Water

Pencil or bamboo skewer

Pipe cleaners, preferably white but multi-colored are fine

Borax (aka: sodium borate) Use 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster, you can find a large box of it near the bleach at Target for about $3.00

Food coloring (optional)Note: Make sure all the supplies you are using are NOT used for food… this is a chemical after all!

Directions

Cut your pipe cleaners into 3 equal lengths and twist them together at their center.

Tie one end of the string to the top of your snowflake. Tie the other end to the center of the pencil or skewer.

Measure several cups of water and pour into the jar (keep note of how many cups you use). There should be enough water to fill the jar about 3/4ths full, or high enough that the snowflake will be completely submerged when added to the jar.

Pour the water from the jar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiled, carefully pour the water back into the jar.

Add 3 tablespoons of borax to every cup of water in the jar. Each tablespoon of borax should be added one at a time and stirred until it dissolves.

Add food coloring to your snowflake solution (optional).

Suspend the snowflake inside the jar by laying the pencil across the mouth of the jar. The snowflake should be dangling in the center of the jar without touching the bottom and should be completely submerged by your snowflake solution.

Place the jar in a location where it will remain undisturbed and let it sit overnight

In the morning you will have your snowflakes!

So I got to thinking… would this work with other shapes? Like a star or a Mickey head…